


AND SO THE FOUR NATION’S WILL WITNESS THE REVOLUTION

by Visa0003



Category: BLACKPINK (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, F/F, OT4, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23851768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Visa0003/pseuds/Visa0003
Summary: Years after the fire nation’s seize of the world, four girls stand to bring a revolution of the likes never seen before.
Relationships: Jennie Kim/Kim Jisoo, Lalisa Manoban | Lisa/Park Chaeyoung | Rosé
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. JISOO

**Author's Note:**

> So I blame macpac64 for this, she made me absolutely obssess with the idea of a blackpink AvatarAu after she posted about it on her tumblr blog incorrect-blackpinkquotes (follow her, her blog's hilarious!) after watching "Kill This Love" MV and I was just hooked. So this story is co-written with her I hope you enjoy ❤
> 
> Also this is heavily inspired by the MV so keep checking it out to get the overall aesthetics C: 

“Princess, come back here right this moment!” Counselor Wu’s shout reverberated across the huge castle walls as Jisoo made her way at top speed through them, jumping tables and turning around some of the servants to avoid being caught by the breathless old man giving chase to her.

“Guards, guards! Get her! She must be at the music room in 10 minutes!” The man panted, grabbing one of the nearest guards by his robes. He pointed at the girl, getting farther and farther away by the second. The only sound they could hear was her laughter echoing down the halls.

Seeing how more and more guards started to appear and close in on her, Jisoo decided it was time to use the new trick she’s been practicing. She rounded the corner, seeing the main staircase up ahead. Two flower vases rested on a side table, and she immediately raised them in the air and drained the water from them. With the water following her, she ran up the staircase and swiftly layered a sheet of water on the stairs. She clenched her fist, and the water turned into a thin, slippery carpet of ice almost invisible to the naked eye. As soon as the guards set foot on the staircase, they were sent tumbling backwards or grabbing the handrails for dear life so they wouldn’t fall as well. The princess let out a victorious laugh when she glanced over her shoulder to see if it worked.

It was a trick that had taken her many weeks of practising day and night to get the exact length and width she wanted. Poor Doyoung had to serve as training dummy until she was successful in fooling him into stepping into her nice little trap. Safe enough to say he’s still sporting the bruises of Jisoo’s numerous attempts as well as the bouts of frustration the princess would unleash on him as he made the mistake of laughing at her failures.

Just as she was out of the castle walls, Jisoo felt a hand grabbing a hold of her elbow. She was dragged to a narrow space between walls where she collided with a strong chest. Jinyoung. They waited in that position for a few minutes until they could no longer see or hear the guards.

“What did you do this time?” He asked as soon as he pushed her away, eyes looking sharp as if to let her know he was ready to scold her.

“Oh, don’t give me that look! They were trying to make me go to that stupid dancing lesson,” the girl huffed in annoyance.

“Well, it’s your duty to attend those lessons,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Besides, I thought you liked dancing.”

“Only with Nayeonie,” she pouted, and then as an afterthought added, “And I guess with you two as well. Although I’m not sure if Doyoung’s frantic flailing can be called that” 

“Jisoo…” He started, a warning tone lacing his words.

“They wanted me to dance with that jerk!” She exclaimed, starting to pace around. “If you had seen the smug look in his stupid face you would-“

“Okay I get it, your betrothed is an asshole” He stopped her, crossing his arms and a deep frown taking place in his face. “I just think you shouldn’t have involved the guards. You should’ve called me or Nayeon and we would’ve got you out of there in a much more peaceful way.” 

“It wasn’t me who involved them though. It was counselor Wu!” Jinyoung hummed and quickly followed her when she started to make her way to the training grounds “You hid my clothes on the tree right?”

“I regret everyday introducing you to archery” He muttered but nodded his head anyway. “You have an obsession, you know.”

“I’ve been getting better. I’m sure this time I’ll hit the bull’s-eye three times,” She declared, ignoring his previous comments and sending a smirk his way “Who knows? I might even be better than you already”

“You wish!”

After three grueling hours of practise, Jisoo was starting to get frustrated.

“Best 7 out of 8!” Jisoo quickly jumped in protest when she saw her arrow miss the bullseye by 2 cm while Jinyoung laughed at her.

“You said that the last 6 times! Just face it, you’re nowhere near as good as I am.”

The statement followed by his mocking tongue made the princess roll her eyes in annoyance, and with one jerk of a knee and flick of her wrist he was suddenly thrown to the ground by a big mound of snow.

“Hey, no bending allowed!” he yelled, trying his best to get out of the snow he was being buried in.

“What, what? I don’t see any signs that say that.” Jisoo smirked, making a show of looking everywhere for said nonexistent sign.

“Yah, get me out of here!” He demanded, still fighting against the weight on top of him that seemed to be hardening the more he struggled.

“Hmmm,” Jisoo glanced up in fake thought before letting out a small evil chuckle.d “I don’t think so…unless you accept I’m better than you”

“This is abuse against non benders!”

“I don’t hear you~” She sing-songed. 

Their bickering however was interrupted by the quick sound of rushed footsteps frantically making their way to them. There in front of them was a pale-looking, sweaty girl kneeling slightly to regain her breath. 

“You. Two. Must. Come. NOW” Nayeon said, her chest heaving with rapid breaths .  The urgency in her voice let the other two know she was serious.

“What happened?” Jisoo asked, swiftly lifting the snow from Jinyoung.

“It’s the Fire Nation, they’re here” 

The short statement filled every inch of Jisoo’s body with dread. After years of the Fire Nation’s conquer of the world, the Northern Water Tribe has been restlessly fighting to keep their independence. The strengthening of the wall that kept them away from the rest of the world had been a daunting task; the amount of waterbenders raised to defend the wall increased about 10 times the amount it normally would. The oldest, most skilled and bravest non benders and waterbenders alike have all worked hard together to tame and train the dolphin-piranhas, arctic hippos, and other animals to defend the tribe. They had to sever ties with several merchants, all supporters of the Fire Nation that heavily affected their economy, but all in all they had managed to keep the Fire Nation away from their tribe and ensure the safety of their people. 

If they had come looking specifically for Jisoo to go upfront, it could only mean one thing: they needed the spirits. Glancing up at Jinyoung’s sullen face she could tell he realized the same thing. 

Ever since she was a child Jisoo had a special connection to the spirit world. The spirits often came looking for her, be it in the form of big, glowing butterflies to aid her in finding the right path whenever she got lost, or in the form of bigger, scarier looking creatures that would demand her intervention to solve whatever issue the spirits considered needed to be solved. This connection lead to a lot of interaction between them and a promise that should the time come to face an enemy they couldn’t take on, the spirit would assist them in their fight. In exchange (and thus Jisoo’s dread) every time they heeded the call, Jisoo’s time in the mortal world would be shortened. Should they reach the third call Jisoo would join them in the spirit world permanently. 

“I’ll go grab the rest of my arrows. Jisoo, go retrieve the ones we threw and keep the quiver and bow. You will not call them before putting up a real fight first,” Jinyoung said, voice harsh.

Despite herself, Jisoo couldn’t help but to feel touched by Jinyoung’s firm refusal to let her sacrifice a piece of herself so soon in her life. She knew it was her duty to do so, for her family, for her friends, for her people. But a small selfish part of her, the part that yearned for adventure and more, couldn’t help but to ignore her duty’s call. She was glad she had friends that understood her.

“C’mon ‘Soo, let’s get those arrows or grumpy pants will scold us” Nayeon brought her out of her thoughts, giving her a sad smile that failed to match the humor of her words.

Giving her a nod for an answer, afraid that the lump in her throat would betray her fear, they both did what was told and in a few seconds they had already gathered the arrows and reunited with the oldest of the three.

They shared a look that seemed to convey everything they wanted to, they seemed to regain some of their confidence back upon seeing they were all in the same page so with a last nod Jisoo straightened her back and steeled her voice. 

“How long until they reach the wall Nayeon?”

“About two to three hours. Ok Taecyeon’s team is already doing everything possible to retain them at the sea. Last thing I heard he managed to get on board one of the ships and was fighting them off. The archers at the wall already took down two of the four aircrafts but...” She clenched her fist. “There’s two made of metal, so it’s hard to find the right spot to attack. Lee Min and Kang Dong-ho already sent the beasts in action but we already suffered 4 casualties.”

“What about Rain’s waterbenders?”

“They managed to sink three ships”

“That’s great!”

“…out of 48”

“….”

“Good thing is that only 5 out of those 48 will reach us at that time, the rest however…”

“It’s okay. We can manage that much if they get inside the wall” Jinyoung nodded, feeling more confident with that last bit of information. “We must do so before sunrise however.”

Glancing up at the now dark sky, Jisoo nodded in agreement. If they couldn’t defeat them now, when they were at their strongest, their chances of getting rid of the Fire Nation at all were dangerously low.

“We will get them before then,” Jisoo said with conviction. She didn’t know where her sudden confidence came from, but she was sure of it. Maybe it was the panicked screaming of some of the civilians as they ran passed them or the war howls of the warriors at the front, but it certainly served to steel her resolve to win. She would not allow the Fire Nation to hurt them. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

When they finally reached the forefront they saw complete chaos. One side of the wall was burning, and there were a few archers wounded being treated by Park Jimin and the rest of the youngest healers. She recognized Park Jihyo among them frantically yelling at Kim Yugyeom to get her more water as she split the great, glowing bubble above her head in eight smaller ones and carefully placed them above the wounds on eight different archers.

“ _ God Jihyo indeed, _ ” Jisoo couldn’t help but think as she saw the impressive work the younger girl displayed.

“Princess Jisoo! You’re here!” Jisoo turned just in time to see the short girl that called her retrieve her boomerang, the sheen of ice that covered it melting upon contact and the small thread of water left back in her water skin.

“Chaeyoung! I thought you went with Min.” 

“Bah, she said I would be more useful here” The girl clicked her tongue in obvious annoyance “But if you ask me, I think she just thinks I’m too young for riding the dolphin-piranhas into battle yet”

“That’s because you are,” Nayeon said making the shorter one glare darkly at her.

“Bullshit, Chaeyoung’s easily one of the best riders out there” Jisoo waved off getting a loud ‘thank you’ from the other. “Either way I’m actually glad you’re here though. Quick, get in position and help me and Nayeon move that snow boulder.”

“Huh? I thought you were here to-” Chaeyoung frowned in confusion but was quickly interrupted by the bunny-toothed girl.

“Shh, just do what she says.”

She shrugged, and the three girls went to the far end of the wall. After exchanging one last look of understanding with Jinyoung, he immediately started firing arrow after arrow and got in front of the huge snow boulder Jisoo saw earlier.

“At the count of three I want you to lift it and then smash it as hard as you can down the edge. We are going to cause an avalanche.” The other two girls hesitantly nodded, not sure of what to think of her plan, but seeing as the ships kept getting closer they decided to trust their princess’s orders.

When Jisoo got to three, the girls moved in perfect synchronization, lifting the boulder using the snow covering it. They jumped as high as they could to bring it down as hard as they could. They repeated the motion three more times until the edge finally started to shake. Soon enough, the snow came down at an alarming pace.

Quickly rushing backwards so they wouldn’t get caught in it, they finally wiped their sweat once they were safe “Now what?” Chaeyoung impatiently asked.

“Look,” Jisoo smirked, pointing at the scene below them. They could see the first ship arriving just in time for it to get caught in the avalanche, getting crushed under the weight of the snow. The waterbenders below took advantage of it and used it to quickly attack the Fire Nation soldiers there.

“Great job ‘Chu!” Nayeon excitedly exclaimed, hugging her tightly and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Chaeyoung, go and cover the other side. That ship over there is going to arrive soon and you need to make sure they don’t reach the archers stationed there.” Chaeyoung nodded and ran where she was told. Taking her bow from her back, Jisoo quickly got in position and steadied her breath, preparing herself to nock an arrow in it. “Nayeonie, you need to go help Doyoung protect the entrance. Make sure to wipe out any Fire Nation soldier that manages to enter”

“What?! I’m not leaving you here you’re-”

She watched in satisfaction as her arrow hit the mark and knocked out one of the firebenders. She let out a sigh before turning to her worried friend “I’ll be fine. I promise not to do anything stupid, and I’ll stay up here. Just go, we both know it’s the right thing.”

“But-”

“Nayeon” Jisoo warned, releasing another arrow. “Don’t make me use my title. Just do what I say. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

Reluctantly, Nayeon agreed and with a last goodbye kiss on her cheek made her way to her post. As soon as she left, Jisoo hung her head. The Fire Nation soldiers disembarked and made their way inside the wall. She knew she would break her promise to stay safe. 

She was glad she was so persistent in dressing as a warrior when training with Jinyoung. As she made her way down the wall and encountered several of her enemies, she found the jaw blade attached to one of the uniform’s holders awfully helpful. Another thing that filled her chest with pride was how right she was in convincing Doyoung into helping her in hand-to-hand combat as well. While she was a great waterbender that could handle herself in a fight, she was also a firm believer that there could be a time where she couldn’t use her waterbending skills and she needed to learn to protect herself without it. And from the shocked face of the firebender she just lifted up, she knew it could be used to hide her skills as a bender. She slammed him down with a water whip, and he fell unconscious. 

“What the hell are you doing here?!” Im Jaebum yelled as soon as he saw her blast a firebender into the cold water.

“What do you think? Helping,” she coolly replied. Standing back to back , they made twin water tornadoes to sweep the soldiers coming at them.

“Shouldn’t you be calling-”

“She doesn’t need to,” Jinyoung interrupted, firing an arrow at one of the Fire Nation Komodo Rhinos. It stumbled and rolled over the floor, taking a group of soldiers with it. “We will win.”

“Yeah, maybe tonight... but what about those 40 other ships and the aircrafts?” Jaebum countered, raising a mound of snow up to catch the flaming rock approaching and stopping it in the air.

As much as she wanted to agree with Jinyoung, she knew deep down Jaebum was right. It wouldn’t be enough. Still, she managed to let out “For the spirits to come help us we must wait until the moon is at its highest point.”

Which, to be fair, was not a lie, but also not entirely true. She just needed a little more time to come up with something she was sure she could-

“Look!” Jinyoung pointed to where Rain stood. From the roof of the tallest building, Jinyoung could see ice shoot from his hand. Rain lept from ice mound to ice mound, higher and higher into the sky. He blasted the metal airship above with scalding water, tearing a hole through the bottom. The sound of the engine dwindled, and the airship plummeted. Rain followed, free-falling from the sky. An arrow pierced his shoulder.

Without further thinking she leaped into the water and willed the current to take her to where Rain would fall. With her heart in her throat she sped across the water. She arrived just in time to wrap him with water and successfully stop his fall just before his back reached the ground. As soon as she let him onto the floor she felt herself briefly sinking into the water from the loss of focus on her feet. Once outside it she dropped to her knees, making sure he was still breathing. 

“Princess…you…” Rain coughed, before Jisoo shushed him.

“I’m not the best healer so this might leave a scar,” she said, taking out the arrow. She pulled water from the channel to press it against the wound, closing her eyes in concentration. She felt it started to glow a bright blue behind her closed lids, knowing she was doing the correct work when she heard Rain hiss in pain. She finally opened her eyes once she felt the water successfully zip through every crevice of the wound and pull it together.

“Thank you,” he heaved, sitting up with her help. “I know everyone thinks otherwise but…I think we can make it... your highness”

“You’d be about the only one to think so besides Jinyoung,” she smiled. Grateful for having at least someone else besides her friends to try and stop her from using the spirits.

“This might take us a while but…it’s not impossible.” He groaned, testing the movement of his shoulder before getting up. 

“Do you have something in mind?”

“I do, but for it to work we need to get through this night.” He ruffled her hair affectionately and winked. “Your father and I already talked about it. That’s why your mother has been away for the last three days. She should have arrived tonight, but…”

“Then we better put ourselves to work, right?” She grinned, picking up the bow from her back again.

“Indeed.” He smiled back at her and pointed at the bow. “Nice touch. Didn’t know your father let you learn how to use it.”

“He didn’t.” She smirked mischievously. One thing she loved about Rain was that he was by far the most laid back master. More often than not he let her get away with these kind of things, making him her favorite waterbending master.

“Well, put it to good use then princess. We’ll have a long night”

And a long night it was, Jisoo’s lungs were about to burst from exhaustion. They had managed to fight the Fire Nation and make most of them retreat, the two metal airships already destroyed and more than a few of the ships deep under the sea. It wasn’t quite as easy or peaceful as it sounded, though. When the Fire Nation started to retreat they took as many hostages as they could, and destroyed several households in the process. 

She was now back at the top of the wall helping the remaining archers when she realized something that made her blood freeze in fear. She understood now what they were trying to do. This was never an operation to truly conquer the North Water Tribe. It was an abduction mission.

The fight was just a distraction. Their real goal was to take the future heirs of every influential family in the north. She felt like screaming for not noticing earlier. With a cold feeling of dread she realized something else. Jinyoung. He was another heir. 

Frantically looking everywhere for the archer, she felt her soul leave her body when she finally spotted him. He was being held captive by five men encasing him in all kinds of chains.

“ _ Where’s Jaebum? _ ” She thought, looking everywhere for him but found nothing.

Seeing as Jinyoung was taken inside the ship, she took a last glance backward to make sure both Nayeon and Doyoung where right where she last saw them, and took all the weapons she could take before jumping from the wall.

“JISOO!” She heard Nayeon scream as she fell into the freezing water.

Even living in the cold tundra could not prepare Jisoo from the pain of falling into the depths of the icy water. She felt like thousands of needles where prickling at her skin, making it hard to keep her breath from completely escaping her mouth. Moving her arms and legs to swim to the surface was like being cut over and over again with each motion. The sharp intake of breath as she finally broke the surface was far from relieving as she felt like she was punched right at her chest.

Yeah, definitely not her best idea.

She had to do something though or this unnecessary pain would be all for naught. Taking a deep breath she raised both her arms and let the water pull her up until she was sort of standing. Once she felt good enough on her feet she skated as fast as she could near a cutter sailing ship left by some of the warriors amidst the fight. Quickly going on board she used her bending to put it in motion in the direction she needed, afraid to lose any more time that she already has. 

Not a minute later she heard a huge explosion behind her. Turning around she saw a hole in the main entrance of the wall.

“ _ Another distraction, _ ” she thought as she saw the rest of the waterbenders rush to repair it and prove her suspicion right. The ships with the captives got farther and farther away while the waterbenders focused on the wall.

With a heavy heart she saw how she herself drifted far away from her home, knowing that if she wanted to rescue Jinyoung she wouldn’t be seeing it any time soon. For now she needed to tread carefully and follow them until she could strike. 

She just hoped her family and her people understand her decision.


	2. JENNIE

_ One hit. _

__

_ Two hits. _

__

_ By the third hit on the side of her ribs, Jennie let out a frustrated groan. She balled her fist through the spinning gate in front of her, immediately stopping the other rotating ones around her. _

__

_ “Jen-” _

__

_ “Don’t. Just don’t say anything Irene.” Jennie huffed, closing her eyes to even her breathing out, hands still shaking in silent anger. _

__

_ “You know I have to,” the older girl calmly said, gently getting up from the rock she was sitting on while she watched the younger train. _

__

_ “I’ll appreciate it more if you don’t.” _

__

_ “I guess you’ll have to appreciate my wise advice moderately then,” she smirked, holding her hand out for the other one to take. Jennie begrudgingly took her hand, and Irene inspected it for any other signs of injury. Seeing none, she proceeded to give her a slight pinch on it, making the other girl yelp in protest. _

__

_ “Ow! What was that for?!” _

__

_ “For being impulsive of course,” Irene deadpanned. “As you know, to master the art of airbending you must-” _

__

_ “-Be flexible, find and follow the path of least resistance. I know.” The nine year-old rolled her eyes, walking away from her to pick up her glider. _

__

_ With one lazy thrust of her fist Irene made the glider fly far away just as Jennie’s fingers grazed the handle. “If you know that, then why are you so insistent on opposing to our ways?” _

__

_ “It’s not that I’m opposing... I just think we could do so much better if we take on a more direct approach.” _

__

_ “Or perhaps you’re just scared of not being able to fully keep your emotions in check.” _

__

_ That hurt. She knew it was true, but to be confronted so directly about it…oh the irony. If there was something Jennie prided herself in, it was on her ability to pick up things easily. Every technique the elder monks taught her she was quick to master, a prodigy they called her. Unfortunately, she was also quite prideful and easy to anger, traits that were heavily frowned upon by the air nomads. It was due to this conflict that they have appointed her to the youngest master airbender to properly teach her the ways of the air nomads. _

__

_ Irene was an unorthodox airbender herself. Just as Jennie, she could be quite easy to anger, especially if you teased her about her elderly manners. (something that, to be fair, was quite understandable if you take into consideration that being such a prodigy left her to hang-out with mostly elders since she was eleven years old) The difference was that Irene often chose to attack with vicious words rather than the straight up physical confrontation Jennie always preferred. Irene would also find great loopholes to attack her opponents by tricking them into injuring themselves or strategically push them into one of her many traps (which if Jennie was to be completely honest, was her favorite thing about her). No one could understand her like Irene, so hearing her bluntly call her out on her greatest fear stung. A lot. _

__

_ “Look, I know you have a hard time sticking to the avoidance techniques, but I promise you will get there.” The older girl’s eyes softened as she caressed the sulking girl’s back in slow, soothing circles. _

__

_ “But what if I don’t want to get there? You all talk about how bad it is to engage in a fight, how by doing so only contributes to the conflict in hand but…but what if you are wrong? What if by refusing to put a final end to it, to participate at all, we are doing more damage? I know we are not entitled to be involved in anything we don’t wish to be part of but…but we are so powerful Irene, we have so much knowledge we could be sharing and instead…instead we are here, isolated…do the elders not care at all about what happens to other people?” _

__

_ The older girl remained quiet for a few minutes, silently pondering about Jennie’s words while mindlessly stroking her tattoo’s until she let out a sigh. “Do you know why there’s so few airbenders? _

__

_ “What? Irene-” _

__

_ “Answer the question Jen.” _

__

_ “Because all of them are here and the rest of the air temples” _

__

_ Irene let out a smirk as she got exactly the answer she wanted from her. “Guess again.” _

__

_ “But it’s true, most airbenders come from here! For an airbender to be born outside of the air temples is extremely rare. I don’t think there’s been one for the last century.” Jennie frowned in confusion when Irene’s smirk didn’t falter at the facts she was spewing. _

  


_ “While most of it is true, that’s not the real reason why there’s so few of us.” Irene’s gaze remained passive but Jennie could see the steel behind it, as if she was talking about a huge weight placed on her. “We airbenders have a strong connection with the spirits, a very important reason why even in the age of Raava, all of our people were granted with bending ability unlike the other people of the other nations. This mutual understanding of each other allow us to understand bending in a whole different level.” _

__

_ Jennie watched as Irene stood up and mindlessly started to move around as graceful and light as a leaf. Arms moving in a circular motion of variable speeds creating different but powerful gust of winds, mini tornadoes and cyclones all over the training space. They were so powerful that Jennie had to use her own bending to keep herself from being swept back from the force. Irene then effortlessly used the strong winds circulating to make a massive air bubble that sprung her upward into the sky. Still in the air, she then spread said bubble to slice all the huge boulders in the training ground.  _

__

_ “You said it yourself Jennie, we are powerful, perhaps a bit too much. And with great power comes corruption, that’s why we must be more responsible than anyone else,” Irene continued, slowly coming down from the air. She was still full of energy after that display of power, reminding Jennie why she was the youngest airbender to ever get her mastery tattoos. _

__

_ “Only those who understand the importance of keeping such power under control, whose heart is as pure as nature itself, can be granted the gift of airbending.” Irene gazed deep into Jennies eyes, commanding her to pay attention to what she was about to say. “To encourage anything but control over it can only achieve catastrophic consequences.” _

__

_ Jennie stood in silence for a moment, quietly looking around at the mess left by Irene’s bending. Pieces of rock scattered all around the floor of the temple, trees were left split in half or bend, spinning gates all unhinged and scattered around. To her amusement she could see how the flying lemurs finally plopped down in relief as they could finally let go of the trees they held onto for dear life. _

__

_ “I know you have good intentions Jen. That’s why I’m sure that once you fully let go of your insecurities and manage to control your emotions, you’ll become one of the greatest airbenders in history.” _

__

_ “Even better than avatar Yangchen?” Jennie asked, knowing full well how the older girl idolized said avatar. _

__

_ “Well not quite as great, no one can be as great as her, you know that Jennie.” _

__

_ “Yah! You should be saying ‘of course, Jennie, you can be anything you want, you’re a goddess’ you know, like a good mentor should,” the cat-eyed girl said, doing her best impression of the other. _

__

_ “As if I would stroke your ego that much. I already stroked it enough as it is since you’re a brat who always needs the constant praise.” Irene rolled her eyes and quickly started moving around to take everything back to the state it was. _

__

_ “That’s not true!” Jennie puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, especially when she saw the other girl not paying any attention to her. “It’s not my fault I’m so naturally talented and amazing that you feel the need to tell me everyday.” _

__

_ “Kid please, I saw your eyes water the other day when I told you how wrong your standing was when performing the levitation.” _

__

_ “I was totally not!” _

__

_ “Yes you were.” _

__

_ “Was not!” _

__

_ “You were!” _

__

_ “It must be your age, you’re already confusing-” Before she could finish, Jennie felt a gust of wind tugging her forwards. If it wasn’t for her quick reflexes, she would have face-planted on the ground. “What happened to not using violence?! You just were talking about it not even five minutes ago!” _

__

_ “What are you talking about? I did nothing, you have no proof.” _

__

_ “You’re crazy grandma,” Jennie yelled. She stood up and took a step backwards and soon felt the same thing once again, making her fall in a painful split. “Yah, Irene stop it!” _

__

_ “Maybe it's the spirits teaching you a lesson you insolent brat!” Irene said, continuing to play oblivious. The smile begging to break out on her lips was more than enough proof that she was the culprit! _

__

_ “Ireeeeene!” _

__

* * *

__

_ “Hi kid,” Jennie heard from her left as she felt someone taking a seat besides her on the edge of the bridge. However she kept her gaze forward and remained quiet, silently praying for her companion to leave. _

__

_ When that didn’t happen the now twelve year old let out a tired sigh. She turned to the calm girl besides her staring at the clouds ahead. “Can you please go. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.” _

__

_ “Then we don’t have to talk, but I’m not going to leave you,” Irene said firmly, sliding closer to the other girl and wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders to bring her in a warm hug. _

__

_ As soon as she came into contact with the other’s body, Jennie couldn’t keep her tears at bay. Soon she was silently sobbing her heart out. It felt like hours before she finally started to calm down and felt strong enough to leave Irene’s embrace. _

__

_ “I don’t understand… what's wrong with me Irene?” Jennie asked, voice so low and broken that nearly made Irene come to tears herself. _

__

_ “Nothing, Jennie, there’s  nothing wrong with you.” She cupped her cheeks and started to softly wipe away her tears. _

__

_ “Then why did none of the flying bison choose me? Why did they all refuse to be with me?” Jennie felt a new fresh batch of tears come down as she uttered those words. _

__

_ “I…I honestly don’t know Jen.” She clenched her fist. “But you don’t have to worry.” _

__

_ “How can I not when I’m the only airbender without a flying bison as a companion?” _

__

_ “Exactly. You are the only airbender who doesn’t  need a flying bison”  _

__

_ “I’m sorry Irene but you have one too so it doesn’t-” _

__

_ “I said you don’t need one and I mean it,” Irene swiftly got them both on her feet and gave her one last squeeze of her hand and gentle smile before turning around. “Follow me, I have a surprise for you.” _

__

_ At first Jennie was reluctant to do so, what she really wanted was to go and crawl into a hole and never be seen again. She figured that wouldn’t sit well with the older girl, so to avoid infuriating the old grandma (granted, she was only 17) she obediently followed her. _

__

_ “If this is your idea of cheering me up, it's not working,” Jennie deadpanned. She looked at the massive flying bison in front of them. “As much as I like Chagoh, if you’re going to propose to share him then thank you, but his connection is with you not me so…” _

__

_ “Are you done?” Irene lifted an eyebrow while an amused smile played on her lips. She looked down at Jennie from her seat. “Chagoh likes you very much as well, but he’s only going to take us where I wanted to show you. Now hop on.” _

__

_ It was a sad ride, if she was being honest. Before every bison calf rejected her, she used to enjoy the rides on top of Chagoh the most. Being able to fly on top of the massive animal as they pass through the clouds left her breathless and with a sense of peace that she was convinced she wouldn’t find anywhere else. She dreamed of the day that the monks is tell all the twelve year old girls at the temple that they could finally choose the flying bison that would later become their most trusted companion. Now with the taste of rejection still fresh in her mind, the exhilarating feeling turned into a bittersweet longing that she couldn’t shake off. _

__

_ When they arrived at a river in the middle of the mountain, Jennie leaped off. She tapped her foot, impatiently waiting for the other girl to get off as well. _

__

_ “Well we’re here. Can you show me why we’re here now?” _

__

_ “I will, but wipe that frown off your face,” Irene said after petting Chagoh goodbye one last time. “I’m sure that the least you want to do is greet my surprise with that face. Now close your eyes” _

__

_ Jennie had to take a deep breath before answering. She was  this close to just running and leaving Irene for being so frustratingly mysterious. Couldn’t the girl come out and tell her what this was all about already? Didn’t she understand that what she really wanted was to mope around and wallow in her self-pity? _

__

_ As if reading her mind Irene at last tapped her on the shoulder to let her know she could open her eyes now “Surprise!” _

__

_ For a moment the only thing the cat-eyed girl could do was blink in astonishment between the grinning girl and the two cygnets in her hands. She didn’t know what to be more surprised of, the presence of not one but two horned swans (an animal so incredibly rare that the last time one was seen was when avatar Kyoshi was still a 4 year old kid!) or that Irene was offering them to her as if she was asking her to adopt a puppy. _

__

_ “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” She smiled as soon as she saw Jennie extend a tentative hand out to caress the black one on her right hand. Her smile could only grow larger when she saw the small bird nuzzle closer to Jennie’s hand. The white swan pecked her other arm to get Jennie’s attention as well. “They seem to like you.” _

__

_ “Irene…how…they…” _

__

_ “I found them when I was taking a walk around here, they were alone. I tried to look for any signs of their mother but to no avail…I wanted to get closer to them and bring them to the temple for them to be properly taken care of but they refused to allow me get any closer than a meter. It wasn’t until I dropped the handkerchief you lent me the other day that they started to respond. For some reason they were very allured to it and once they recognized the scent of it lingering on my hands did they allow me to touch them.” _

__

_ Jennie could only gape in amazement as the two magnificent birds flocked around her, chirping loudly in joy as they took on the warmth of the girl. The feeling was truly breathtaking; Jennie could feel it, the connection. The very thing she had hoped to feel with one of the flying bisons but better, deeper. Was this it? Was this the reason why she couldn’t bond with any of the bisons? Was it because no matter what, they wouldn’t have ever measured to what she could feel with these two birds? _

__

_ “I was going to bring you earlier to meet them. I wanted to confirm my suspicion of you having to do with their sudden openness but before I could the selection took place and….well you know,” Irene continued, smiling fondly at the happy tears in the younger’s eyes. “I’m glad I was right though. You won’t need a flying bison by your side because instead you have two majestic horned swans to do so.” _

__

_ “Irene…I don’t know what to say, I…thank you, just thank you.” _

__

_ “Just remember this, Jennie. No matter the circumstances, no matter how lonely you might feel, these swans and I will  always be by your side.” She hugged the crying girl tightly. Jennie couldn’t remember the last time she cried this much in one day. “And even if we are to be apart one day we will find our way back to you.” _

__

_ “I…thank you so much Irene!” Jennie exclaimed, returning the hug just as tightly. She didn’t care about the wet mess she was once again making on the other girl’s robe as she kept mumbling over and over again, “I love you, thank you, thank you, thank you.” _

__

_ “Now you have to promise me that once they’re big enough you will take me on a ride with them.” _

__

_ “I promise! We can even have races, oh, oh! Do you think I can teach them how to play airball? We could have a whole new way of playing the game! Do you think if I managed that the monks will grant me the tattoos?” _

__

_ “Okay, okay, but don’t you think you should first name them?” _

__

_ “Oh yeah, you’re right,” she laughed. Jennie blushed and raised both swans to take a look good at them before nodding with conviction. She pointed at the white one with her chin so Irene knows who she is talking about “That one shall be Kai, and for the black one, Kuma.” _

__

_ “Very well then.” Irene took a step forward and crouched down in front of the two animals until she was eye to eye with them. “Nice to officially meet you Kai and Kuma. Let’s do our best to protect little Jennie okay?” _

__

_ “Hey I’m not little! I’m still a growing girl” _

__

_ “The spirits know it will not be easy.” _

* * *

The wind was blowing harsh on the cold night when Jennie finally arrived at the temple. She had been travelling all around the world with Kai and Kuma for 8 years. The lights that should be illuminating the three mountains were none to be found. The voices and giggles of the girls playing around that filled the place with life were replaced with deafening silence. For the first time in Jennie’s life she saw the impeccable halls and magnificent statues of the temple be anything but, instead a thick layer of moss covered every surface of them. The temple was empty, dark, and abandoned, and the feeling of loneliness plagued every inch of it. 

With a defeated sigh, she got down from Kai’s back, quickly being followed by Kuma behind them. Jennie brought her head closer until the three of them were pressed together before completely letting go of them and walking ahead into the abandoned temple.

Walking down the desolated yet familiar halls awoke so many different things inside her. First it was nostalgia, every step she took filled her mind with memories of happier times, times where she could feel safe, times where she wasn’t… _ alone _ . Then it was the rage, an uncontrollable, burning venom that seemed to spread all over her body, making her fingers itch with the want to make every single member of the Fire Nation pay for what they have done to her people, for what they have reduced them to, for taking away everything she has ever loved and then…there was the sadness.

What is she doing here? Why did she come back if she knew nothing would be awaiting her here? Why?

There was nothing left…nothing.

Not even…

_ Irene _ .

“I guess you couldn’t keep your promise eh, old hag?” She murmured, placing a hand on the last statue ever created in the temple. Even under all the moss Irene’s statue managed to be the most beautiful one in the room, the green only adding to the statue’s glory…if only she was here to brag about it. The thought brought a fresh batch of tears to her eyes and the cold feeling of sadness seemed to grow inside her chest. “Wherever you are just…be sure to be safe…please…just…be alive.”


	3. ROSÉ

The sound of hurried steps reverberated all throughout the walls of the massive but empty dark halls; soft pants accompanied the only other disturbance in the otherwise silent palace. A young, lean boy made his way to the biggest room in the left wing at top speed, his hand clenching for dear life the scroll of parchment he was entrusted with. Once he arrived at the tall red double doors, he stopped to take a breath and calm his erratic heartbeat, for he knew that the moment he crossed those doors he must show nothing but ideal composure.

The few seconds that followed the knock seemed like the longest in the young boy’s life, each second bringing a new feeling of anxiousness deep inside his gut until, at last, a small gap between the doors allowed the face of a woman to be seen. Her dark and empty eyes demanded a quick explanation for such a disturbance in the late hours of the night.

“I have a message for the general,” his firm voice declared, holding out the parchment for the lady to see.

“And couldn’t it wait until tomorrow? The general has just arrived after an arduous mission in the earth kingdom, she must rest for the night,” the palace maid said. Her words came with a cutting tone of finality that made the young lad in front of her tremble in fear, for if he didn’t deliver the message in time it would be his head that rolled first thing tomorrow morning.

“I’m afraid it can’t. She must read it now.”

“Must? You dare order around-!”

The strict reprimand the woman was about to unleash upon him was curtly interrupted by the melodious voice of a woman from within calling out.

“It’s alright Ha Yi, let him come.”

“As you wish, my lady.” The maid bowed to the direction where the general’s voice was heard. “Do you wish me to assist you in getting out of the bath first?”

“It won’t be necessary, as I’m sure our friend here will be quick.”

“But my lady you-”

“As I said, it’s okay.” She dismissed her, an elegant flick of her delicate wrist was all it took for the maid to finally let the boy inside and lead him to where her master was.

The inside of the room seemed to stretch larger than the double doors indicated, the ceiling reaching impossibly high where a dome window allowed the starry night to be visible. The full moon shed a bright ray on the center of the room giving the room a certain feeling of etherealness. To the left a queen sized, four posted bed stood tall and proud, draped with the most expensive silks and pillows the nation had to offer. A huge shelf to the side of the bed displayed numerous sets of weapons from all around the world, each polished with the finesse expected from only the best smiths to exist. Further down he could make out the curtains that seemed to lead to a walk in closet where he did not dwell further. On the right side of the room (and to the young man’s astonishment) was, for everyone to see, a marble bathtub, big enough to be confused as a pool, littered with rose petals all around. And in the water, a young woman of striking beauty sat watching his every move.

The woman was not bothered at all by the situation in which the boy found her in. She merely smiled, a set of pearly white teeth showing through her rosy plump lips which had successfully snatched away what little breath the boy had in him.

“What’s your name?” She asked, kindly but firmly.

“M-My name is Minhee, my lady” He clumsily bowed, not daring to raise his head now that he was in the presence of one of the strongest figures in the palace.

“Raise your head.” Once he hesitantly followed her orders she continued. “Do you see this?”

With a lazy flourish of her wrist she gestured to the spacious bathtub where she rested, making Minhee blush a deep crimson and release a short, embarrassed nod.

“You better have a good explanation for interrupting my long awaited bath time, Minhee. I’ve been in battle for months now and today finally I got to come back home and take time for myself.” Her smile, as beautiful as it was, contained a certain sharpness to it that made it quite clear that whatever he said next better be worth it, or else the consequences he’ll face won’t be quite as gracious.

“My lady, the great general Park Taewoong sent me to personally deliver this message to you,” he said, holding up the scroll up for general Park Roseanne to see for herself.

At the name of her father, Rosé couldn’t help but to raise one perfectly sculpted eyebrow in surprise. It’s been a while since her father reached out to her, far too busy with the political affairs against the northern water tribe to pay any mind to his only daughter. So it must be quite the important message for him to suddenly contact her.

A simple nod was all it took for her maid to rush forward and take the message from the boy and bring it to her.

“You’re dismissed Minhee, thank you,” she lazily replied, eyes not straying away from the contents in the scroll. Another wave of her hand was all it took for the boy to heave a sigh of relief and quickly leave the general’s private quarters, knowing that at least for now he had another day to live.

As she finished reading the contents of the scroll she let out a disappointed sigh. “ _ So much for daddy’s approval _ ”, she bitterly thought as she burned the message until not even ashes were left of it.

It seems that no matter what she does, she won’t ever be enough for her father. Apparently, he was beyond displeased with her performance at the earth kingdom. Failing to capture the troublemaker Lalisa Manoban wasn’t her fault, Rosé angrily thought. She only came to know about the street rat’s crimes a month ago and she was by far more concerned in conquering the western coast of the kingdom, something that she successfully accomplished. But of course her father would pay no mind to it, merely brushing it off with “It’s your duty Roseanne. It is expected of you.”

She didn’t know whether to take it as an insult for him to send her so soon after battle to the abandoned eastern air temple, to take it and transform it into another base for the Fire Nation. She, Roseanne Park, one of the most powerful generals the Fire Nation has seen in centuries, second only to her father and Fire Lord, reduced to  _ this _ ? No. She couldn’t allow it, not anymore.

She will go, she decided but she will do so in her own terms and what purpose the temple will serve for will be up to her and no one else, not her father. Her. Perhaps this could be her chance to prove herself far more worthy than her father to the Fire Lord. Yeah, she could do that. She will explore the zone, study it, learn every nook and cranny, every secret and use it to her advantage,  _ improve _ it and offer the Fire Nation something it hasn’t seen before, something…  _ majestic _ .

“Ha Yi, leave the towels here. You can rest for the night.” She clapped, taking a scoop of water and pouring it over her hair, finally letting herself fully relax. “Oh and make sure to inform Lee Minhyuk that we’ll be leaving for the eastern air temple in a fortnight first thing in the morning.”

* * *

“Do you have everything ready?” Rosé kindly asked.

After her meeting with the Fire Lord she was feeling excited, perhaps even happy. How unlikely it is that the Fire Lord himself seemed to be what her father could never be. Impressed. By her, by her work, by her pure raw talent. He had praised her, in front of each and every general present in the room for all her victories (and they were quite a lot if she says so herself). Oh, what Rosé would have given for her father’s face to be immortalized at that moment so she could stare and laugh all day long. He looked  _ jealous _ , of her! The very own person he liked to denigrate so much.

The best part however wasn’t even that, no. It was how her father’s own orders for her to go to the wretched eastern air temple had been completely dismissed by the Fire Lord. He had  _ demanded _ she celebrate and take the rest she has  **earned** for however long she wanted. In other words, she was free to do whatever she wanted for the time being and there was nothing her father could do about it!

What he doesn’t know is that she was still planning to go to the air temple for two reasons: One, without having to take a whole entourage of soldiers she was free to do absolutely anything she wanted with the temple. She didn’t have to follow any protocol and the chances of any soldier foolishly blabbering about her deeds and it reaching her father would be zero. And two, if somehow news about her whereabouts broke out she could always play the part of the dutiful daughter and devoted general too concerned with the Fire Nation’s growth to pass up such an opportunity.

So yes, she would only take her most trusted captain and soldier with her and finally set in motion what she was sure could be a fantastic move for the nation.

“We do, my general.” Lee Minhyuk, her darling captain and best friend winked. He was by the deck preparing one of the smallest but fastest airships for the journey along with Min Yoongi, a talented soldier she was grooming to become her successor.

Once they were up in the air, the three of them alone, Minhyuk finally made his way to Rosé’s side on the wheel. “I have great news for you.”

“Well get on with it already!” She smirked, waving Yoongi to come closer and listen as well.

“Lalisa Manoban has been spotted again and you won’t believe where,” he chuckled. “It seems your instincts are still unparalleled, Rosé. She was last seen making her way through Chameleon Bay and going into the eastern sea, and you know where she would have to make a stop?”

“The eastern air temple.” She smiled. “How did you get this information?”

“A friend of mine sent me a letter about the undomesticated ape causing a ruckus on her way to the bay.”

“Well, I guess it’s time to show that beast just why you don’t mess with the Fire Nation. Yoongi, pull the accelerator at maximum work, we can’t let that rat escape anymore.”

The moment they landed safely on the floor Rosé knew that for once, the fates seemed to smile at her. The air temple itself was impressive, for peasants. The airbenders that used to reside in it did an impeccable job at building such a resistant fortress. For starters, the state in which it was found even after so many years was remarkable; yes it had more than a couple of structures completely destroyed and the moss and wild vegetation threatened to swallow at least two of the three buildings that conformed it, but it was nothing that couldn’t be easily dealt with. Her sharp ears detected a plethora of tiny noises that indicated wild life was finally coming back to the temple, meaning it was still more than safe to habituate and they would hardly run out of food to eat. Overall it was a great set up for her project. Once she could properly assess the full state of the temple on the inside she could get started on her plans of improvement.

“Say Minhyuk, when do you think the street rat will grace us with her undesirable presence?” The blonde haired general asked, carefully crouching on the ground to inspect the surface for any signs of someone else already roaming the place.

“If my calculations are correct, which they always are, she should be making herself present as soon as the sun falls at the very most.” He smirked in kind, already making his way inside the buildings and sneering at the sight of what looked like bird shit littering the floors from the hallway.

“How opportune,” Yoongi monotonously said. A deep frown immediately took its place on his face as he glanced at the other two buildings to the west. “If I may, my general.”

“Go on,” Rosé mindlessly said as she took in every piece of the temple, making sure no room on her way was left without inspection.

“There are three buildings to this temple, and we’re currently on the one farthest to the east. What’s to say the wretched bandit hasn’t already arrived and is currently hiding in one of the other temples, considering they’re the ones closest to the bay where she was last spotted in?”

At this, Rosé allowed a slow smile grow on her face. She’s been wondering how long would it take for Yoongi to come to this conclusion, and she was not disappointed that he reached it as soon as he did. As fast as their airship is, there was simply no way they would have arrived at the temple before Lalisa Manoban did- that is, if Minhyuk’s information about her actually leaving the Bay was correct. Either way, Lalisa or not, the journey to the temple points to be all kinds of fruitful for her.

“It is precisely because of that, dear Yoongi, that there are three of us at the moment. Minhyuk will be in charge of properly searching this one.” Opening the door, she confidently strutted to the bridge connecting the other temple with Yoongi in tow. “You on the other hand will be searching from top to bottom, every nook, every cranny of the next one, and I the third one. We must be as stealthy as we possibly can so the stupid girl won’t see us coming when we bring her to justice. Am I clear?”

“Yes, my general!”

“Perfect. I’ll see you back at the airship at dusk, don’t be late.” With that, she left the young man to his own devices.

Now that she was alone, the blonde haired general let her eyes flutter shut, allowing each of her five senses to come to her one by one. First, it came the hearing, then the smell, sight, touch and lastly taste. She brought a finger up to her mouth and tasted the salt that shouldn’t be there in one of the puddles around the corner of a room that used to be an old sauna.  _ She was here _ . The question that crossed her mind first (as silly as it was) was why would she bring seawater with her? The possibility of it coming from wet clothes immediately crossed out as it would have definitely dried up by the time she reached the top of the mountain. But now that she knew Lalisa Manoban was most definitely here it only left room for one thing: Hunting.

Once she captured the baboon from the earth kingdom, she could get back to work and see what areas could be exploited. Satisfied with the resolution, the general proceeded to carefully make her way deeper into the temple, the long stairs up sending a thrill down her spine for what was sure to come. The search on the first two floors were fruitless on signs of the earth bender’s true whereabouts, but it did offer a good layout for possible routes of escape. Not to mention further confirmation of her presence in the building if the ashy-brown strand of hair she found near the toilets in one of the bathrooms was anything to go by. It was only when she started to make her way inside the third floor that a rattle of sounds came from upwards interrupting the otherwise dead silence of the building.

“ _ I got you, _ ” Rosé thought as she all but dashed up to the fifth floor where the commotion came, taking two and even three steps at a time.

The sound of loud cursing and heavy footsteps barreling to her right quickly indicated where the rascal was most likely in. What caught her attention the most however was the sound of another set of feet following right after the other, meaning Lalisa Manoban was not alone. At the surprising turn of events Rosé quickly took out the tiny bottle of oil she always carried with her and swiftly poured a small line on the stone floor and lit it up with a tiny flame that rapidly spread along the line successfully blocking the path back to the stairs. Not a second later she was sprinting in chase of the criminal and unknown company.

A couple of turns later she finally found them. There, in all her muddy glory, was the bothersome pest known as Lalisa Manoban. She was wearing classic earthbender green clothes that looked like it had seen better days if all the dirt and holes were any indication of how badly she truly was doing. She was panting, sweat dripping down her chin in a disgusting display of uncouthness like only she could, she seemed mad like something has just gone terribly wrong (and oh how Rosé wanted to make that frown go even deeper when she burn her to a crisp as a true reminder as to why you don’t mess with the Fire Nation). In front of her stood a smaller black haired girl dressed in plain brown clothes that hunters often wore north of the Earth Kingdom, she had her back impossibly straight, bow firmly up and ready to fire the arrow knocked in any moment now.

“ _ A non bender _ ” She noticed. All the more perfect for her given how she won’t pose much of a threat (if at all), so taking her out will be nothing short of child’s play. “ _ Leave it to such an idiot to recruit a flimsy non bender as only possible aid. _ ”

“Listen you fool, if you don’t go down right at this moment that stupid fire bender will be on our tails and-!” Lalisa began before a small flame hit her straight to the shoulder making her quickly hiss in pain

“Bring you to justice like you deserve, Lalisa Manoban.” 

As soon as the words left her mouth the room exploded in chaos. Flames, boulders and arrows flew all around the place wrecking havoc all around the floor. To the general’s surprise, both girls were faster and stronger than she originally thought: in the little archer’s case she was very agile and quick to respond, no matter how close an attack was she wouldn’t even flinch and continue firing arrow upon arrow with practiced ease. Rosé let out a curse when one of the arrows managed to graze her left leg, sending needles of pain through it and making her miss Lalisa by a centimeter. The earthbender for her part was pure destruction, what the archer had in grace and fluidity Lalisa had in pure raw strength. Like an elephant in a china store, she had absolutely no qualms of what her bending could do to the floor they were in.

On a firm squat, fists perfectly in place in a crescent shaped form, Lalisa swiftly tore out one of the pillars supporting the archway to the terrace and threw it in the direction of the two girls currently locked in a dance of push and pull, urging them to scatter as far as they could before the huge pillar made impact with one of them. The lack of support on the area immediately sent the rest of the archway plummeting down in a huge rain of debris, the room roaring and shaking with it. Taking the momentum, Lalisa jumped as far as her powerful legs allowed her to and in a quick succession of punches fired rock after rock towards both girls trying to escape the mayhem in the room.

Fed up with their games, Rosé let out a furious scream and kicked two huge firebombs in Lalisa’s direction, thankfully sending her crashing hard against the wall. Spinning to the ground to avoid the arrows whistling over her head, the general sent a flurry of fire daggers to the other girl in the room. A smile stretched around her face as she saw the girl scream in pain as two daggers hit their mark on her shoulder and left side. Seeing Lalisa shake her head out of her stupor, she rapidly took to the walls as she fire-stepped away from where Lalisa lifted an earth column. As she ran along the walls the blonde made sure to shoot fire streams everywhere she went, enveloping the room in thick clouds of smoke and fire.

Seeing as the lack of oxygen in the room would eventually get to them, both criminals ran back to the halls in hopes of escaping the thick heat that was starting to make it harder and harder for them to breathe.

“STOP RUNNING AT ONCE. IT IS USELESS FOR YOU ARE ALREADY MINE!” Rosé yelled with a joyful cackle of laughter as someone who knew themselves victorious.

The general couldn’t help the bouts of laughter that left her mouth as she jet propelled through the halls behind them, setting everything on fire in her wake. Lalisa tried to make her crash against the walls she would rise up around every corner, but it was useless against someone as fast as Rosé.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Lalisa exclaimed as she saw the wall of fire Rosé had left at the entrance of the stairs, successfully trapping them as the firebender finally caught up to them.

“Surrender now and your life will be spared, Lalisa Manoban,” Rosé calmly explained. She smiled sweetly at the archer next to her. “You too will be spared if you surrender and plead for pardon at your trial.”

The two heaving girls looked at each other for a fraction of a minute before exchanging twin nods of agreement. Something that the firebender unfortunately mistook as surrender as she let her guard fall for a second, a second that cost her a precious advantage. 

It took them a second for the archer to cling to the earthbender’s back as she jumped high in the air, the additional weight on her back seemed to be exactly what she needed for her to send the whole floor crashing down. A horrible feeling set in the pit of the blonde’s stomach as she felt the ground beneath her feet disappear, and her body be suspended in the air for a few seconds before harshly smashing against the ground on the floor below. The pain that seared through her sent tears to her eyes, and she did her best to try and contain the scream that threatened to escape from her clenched teeth. She was not going to give them the satisfaction; over her dead body would she allow the enemy see how affected she truly was.

It was the pure, unadulterated rage that coursed through her veins at the insolent act that allowed her to get back on her feet as fast as she did. Forget the thought of mercy, these cockroaches would pay and they would do so with their blood!

“So you have chosen death!” She laughed “Allow me to bring it to you then, you scum!” 

With that and a roar that served to scare even the two frantic girls making their way down the stairs, the firebender let out a pressured fire stream that nearly engulfed the whole staircase. The heat was so strong that it managed to melt big holes all over the walls, making most of the second, third and fourth floor all but collapse. Seeing the two criminals on the ground floor, coughing and weak, trying their best to gain their breath back and trying to extinguish the flames on their clothes brought a surge of excitement to the blonde haired general. This was the moment; one final blow and they were done for.

To her utter frustration (and begrudging surprise) the archer seemed to recover faster than the still coughing earthbender, and pulled open two water skins at each side of her hips. In one fluid move she whipped the water about until both arms were covered, forming long thick tentacles that she used to quickly extinguish the fire her ice breath couldn’t reach.

“A waterbender eh?” Rosé smirked, her determination to defeat both of them now higher. “Alright then, bring it!”

Despite the previous fire stream taking out a huge load of energy in her body, general Park Roseanne wasn’t one of the most powerful firebenders in the nation for nothing. She quickly matched up with the surprisingly tireless strikes the waterbender threw her way. For a moment, Rosé let herself enjoy the new challenge that the newly discovered waterbender presented. But when she saw Lalisa moving out of the corner of her eye, she knew she had to devise a quick plan to take them both at once without having to completely exhaust herself.

“ _ Where are Yoongi and Minhyuk anyways?! _ ” she screamed in her mind. She brought those two with her for a reason, and now that they can actually be useful they’re nowhere to be found!

Lalisa raised a giant hand from the earth, grasping at Rosé. But before she could get caught, a sudden gust of wind threw the three benders off their feet. They were slammed into the opposite wall. The wind slowly subsided, and Rosé let her mouth hang open as she watched a real live airbender softly descend before them.

The clothes, the glider, the wind still holding them in place… it all screamed airbender. How was that possible? Airbenders were dead. The Fire lord, her father, they all made sure not one of them remained alive!

Before she could mutter a word, Lalisa beat her to it, eyes wide in wonder as she exclaimed “You’re an airbender!” 

“You don’t say,” the airbender sarcastically said, rolling her eyes for emphasis. “You have exactly one second to explain why you’re here, defiling this sacred place.”

“It’s all her fault!” Lalisa yelled, frantically whipping her head in Rosé’s direction. “I was minding my own business, relaxing after such a long trip when she started attacking us for absolutely no reason!”

“Tsk, as if you’re anything but a pesky menace,” the general huffed. Narrowing her eyes at the glaring airbender, she started to take mental notes on her. She couldn’t be more than a year or two older than her. Her clothes were in a nearly impeccable state, meaning she couldn’t have been in either of the temples at the time of the attacks. Her dark eyes sported twin vertical white scars that told her survival has been anything but peaceful. No signs of blue tattoos were visible in her body, however.

“ _ Not a master then, _ ” she smirked. Good, she could work with that.

“Say, airbender, how come it took you this long to get here and visit the place where all your  **pathetic** kind died? Were you as disgusted by their weakness as us?”

The gasps that resounded around her as well as the sudden hand in her throat, squeezing the air in it was indication enough that her words were exactly what she needed to get the rise she wanted out of her.

“How dare you, you bitch!” The airbender all but growled on her face eliciting a strangled laugh out of the general.

Taking what little air could enter in her mouth, she started to heat it up, making sure the airbender was as close to her face as possible so she could release the small flame from her mouth and successfully burn the stupid airbender. Free from her clutch, the firebender rolled around on the floor, swiftly avoiding the air swipe the airbender released in reaction. Once on her feet, she knew she had to make everything in her power to shorten the distance with the airbender. They’re known for their wide range fighting style, and a shorter distance meant less air to use and she would make sure that remains her advantage.

Of course, shortening the distance between yourself and an airbender was definitely easier said than done, something that was quickly getting on Rosé’s nerves. The previous fight with the other benders was starting to take a toll on her tired body, from the pain that still surged through her side to the energy she has lost from her previous stunts. She couldn’t keep prolonging the fights or else she’d collapse.

As if she could read what was going through her mind, the wretched street rat made her slam hard against an earth wall she summoned just as she was ready to deliver a particularly strong blazing ring towards the airbender. Regaining her balance, she sliced the next boulder Lalisa tossed giving her enough time to charge and launch a strong blast that at last knocked her away. With the earthbender out and the waterbender nowhere to be seen she focused all her energy left on the airbender.

She couldn’t use another pressured fire stream at risk of knocking herself out but she could do something else. Clearing her mind out of any emotion she took a deep breath ready to strike and put an end to the fight once and for all when another rumble resonated inside the building and two gigantic silhouettes blocked the sun from outside. Taken aback by the new intruders (that suspiciously looked like the legendary horned-swans she used to read about as a kid), Rosé failed to notice the air blades coming her way in time enough to avoid them.

With a grunt and a bleeding arm Rosé had to admit defeat no longer seemed as ridiculous a thought as she initially considered. The airbender, now flanked on either side by indeed two majestic horned-swans, looked like she thought along the same lines.

“If you wisely give up and leave the temple now, I’ll allow you to go and save your friends before they die,” the small airbender said after a long second of silence.

Eyes widening in realization Rosé gasped in surprise. “Minhyuk, Yoongi!”

“I left the younger one bleeding at the bridge; he has an open wound on his abdomen and a broken foot. The other I knocked out and hung near the cliff, one wrong move and he’ll fall to his death.” With a shrug the airbender informed. Left hand lazily stroking the black swan’s feathers as she watched the firebender process the news.

“You wouldn’t! Airbenders are supposed to be pacifists!”

The brunette merely raised an uninterested eyebrow at the bleeding arm drenching the blonde’s clothes as if saying “Do I look like a pacifist airbender to you?”

“The longer you stay arguing with me the faster your friends will die,” she said instead. Shaking her head the airbender let out a tired sigh, as if displeased with the outcome of whatever internal war she had inside her head. “I’m willing to help you settle the other two inside your airship, but you must leave the temple at once. I warn you though- one wrong move and not only will I be letting your friends die, but I myself will kill you with my own bare hands.”

Normally such threats would cause Rosé to laugh out loud, especially coming from someone who looked like they have never taken a life before. But there was something in the girl’s voice that let her know that this time (as unlikely as it looked) the threat would be carried through without fault. It pained her to do it, but if she didn’t then it would be her only two friends in the world who’ll pay the consequences; not to mention that her father would have even more reasons to despise and ridicule her for such loss. So with clenched teeth and a reluctant nod the two headed outside.

Rosé didn’t know whether to feel relieved or enraged when she found out the airbender’s word to be true when she saw the bloodied state in which Yoongi was left. It would take everything in her and Minhyuk to safely take him in time for a healer to tend to his wound.

“What’s your name, airbender?” The general asked once Minhyuk and Yoongi were inside the aircraft, ready to take off once again. She wanted to know the name of the airbender who dared to defy everything she knew about them, she needed it so she could call her by it when she kills her next time she sees her.

“Jennie,” she replied, not an ounce of fear in her voice as she held the fiery gaze of the general before her. “Jennie Kim.” 


End file.
